Known and Unknown
by kodylynx
Summary: Jay's always known Zane's a robot. When it causes him so much stress it triggers a seizure, Zane steps in to try to keep him calm to prevent another one. (Technoshipping, majority takes place between the pilot and first episode of season 1)


**A/N: Have you ever not been able to think of a decent story title? I'm joining the club lmao****Anyway, this is based on two headcanons I have, one being Jay's always known Zane's a robot and the other being Jay's epileptic. Also, I am very much aware of the inaccuracies of how Zane checked on Jay. Trust me, I've been examined by paramedics after having a seizure, I know how inaccurate Zane's dialogue is. But realistically I think Zane could've been too anxious to actually properly make sure he's okay. Anyway, enjoy this messy rollercoaster of a story**

\--

_He's a robot_, Jay thought to himself. _And he doesn't know. I guess that explains why he tires out around the middle of the day._

"Jay? Is everything alright?" Zane snapped Jay from his thoughts.

"Y-Yeah! Everything's fine!"

"Jay —" began Kai. Jay interrupted him.

"Just lost in my own thoughts!" Jay laughed nervously. Zane yawned.

_If I can control lightning, maybe I can give Zane more energy! I just need to shock him._

"Ouch! Jay, what was that for?"

"Sorry! Must've gotten so lost in my thoughts I shocked you!"

"Something's weird with him," Kai whispered to Cole. Cole nodded.

"Are you sure you're okay, Jay? You seem nervous," said Zane.

"Yeah, everything's fine," said Jay, a little more calmly. "Well, I'm going to go train!"

Jay ran out of the room.

"Something is definitely up," said Cole.

"We shouldn't pressure him to tell us," said Zane. "None of us need more stress."

"Zane's right," said Kai. "Let's not pressure him to tell us what's going on, he's already an embodiment of anxiety."

\--

Jay punched a punching bag.

_What if he gets destroyed? What if he gets cut? He'll freak out if he finds out he's a robot._

Jay sighed, dodging some axes.

I can't let him find out.

"Oof!" Jay landed on the ground, laying on his back; an axe had hit him. He rubbed his head. "Ow."

"Jay! Are you okay?" Zane asked, running towards Jay. Kai and Cole followed.

"Yeah," said Jay. Zane helped him up.

"Usually you focus better," said Cole.

"Yeah," said Jay. "I'm a little bit distracted."

"A little?" said Kai. "I don't know, you look pretty distracted to me."

"Is everything alright?"

"Sensei!" said Kai, Cole, Zane, and Jay in unison.

"Y-Yeah! Everything's fine!" said Jay. "I'm just a little distracted."

"Would you like to talk about it?" asked Wu.

"N-No," said Jay. "I figured something out and I just need a little bit of time to get over the shock."

Kai, Zane, and Cole exchanged glances.

"Okay," Jay continued. "I'm going back to training!"

"Try not to get hit with an axe this time, Jay," said Kai. He laughed a little.

"I wonder what he figured out?" said Zane as they walked inside.

"How to throw a proper punch?" said Cole.

"Well, he can when he tries hard," said Kai. "Let's not dwell on it."

"He really isn't focusing very well, is he?" said Zane, looking outside. Jay was back on the ground.

"Besides, Cole, it seems more like an upset shock than a normal, 'Yay, I just figured this out' shock," said Kai. "It would explain why he was nervous earlier. Are you okay, Jay?"

"Yeah, just a little light-headed," Jay replied, sitting down and holding his head.

"Perhaps you've been training too hard," said Zane.

"Yeah, I get pretty light-headed when I train too ha —" Kai gasped. "JAY!"

"C-Calm down, everything's going to be okay," said Zane nervously. Jay was convulsing on the ground. "J-Just flip him on his side, make sure he can't hit his head on anything."

"I'll go get Sensei!" said Cole, running inside.

"Zane, you're positive he's okay?" asked Kai.

"I think the worst he'll have is a concussion," said Zane. "He must've been too stressed out or he trained too hard."

"What's going on?"

"Sensei!" said Zane, looking up. "He's having a seizure, but I think he'll be fine. He just said he was feeling light-headed and then went into it."

About thirty seconds later, the seizure stopped. Jay groaned and tried to get up, but Zane pushed him back down.

"You should lay down for a little bit," he said gently.

"What happened?" asked Jay, rubbing his head.

"You had a seizure," said Zane.

"What?" Jay tried to sit up again, but Zane pushed him down.

"Jay, calm down," said Zane with a gentle smile. "I think stress might be what caused it, so try to stay calm, okay?"

"Okay," said Jay, taking a deep breath.

"You two should calm down, too, he's fine," said Zane, glancing at Kai and Cole, who were nervously pacing inside. "You pacing is probably going to make his anxiety worse."

Kai and Cole ran to Jay's side.

"You're okay!" said Kai, kneeling next to Zane.

"Yeah..?" said Jay. "Of course I am."

"You said you were a little light-headed before you went into it," said Cole. "Maybe we should use that as a warning sign."

"That would be a great idea," said Zane. "If you can control electricity, you might be able to control the electrical pulses in your brain and prevent yourself from having seizures."

"I mean, I can try," said Jay. "Can I sit up now? The ground isn't particularly comfortable."

"Yeah," replied Zane. "But I'm still going to watch you. You could have a concussion and if you do we need to make sure it's not affecting your health too badly."

"Okay," said Jay.

"If you still want to lay down we can get you somewhere more comfortable, but I don't think you need to," said Zane.

"I'm tired, that's what I am," said Jay, yawning and sitting up.

"Well, I'd say try to stay up for a little longer until I know you're okay," said Zane.

"Since when were you a medic?"

"I don't really know," said Zane. "I was never taught how to treat seizures, I guess I just figured it out."

"How are we going to keep him up?" asked Kai. "Usually when one of us is tired we end up falling asleep no matter how hard we try to stay up."

Zane sighed and thought for a minute.

"Okay, Jay, here's the deal," he said. "I'll let you take a nap, but I'm going to keep an extremely close eye on you."

"Okay," said Jay. "I can deal with that."

"Come on," said Zane, leading Jay inside and to his bed. He looked around, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Is it okay if I — uh — maybe — laid in the bed with you? I'll hopefully be able to see if something's wrong a little better."

Jay turned bright red.

"Y-Yeah, sure, I-I guess," he said, getting into his bed. Zane followed. Jay was asleep within minutes.

_Now I have to stay up_, Zane thought, staring at Jay. _Maybe if I counted his freckles?_

"Zane? Zane!"

Zane fell off the bed.

"Ow," he groaned, getting up.

"There you are," said Kai. "Sensei told me to check on you and Jay."

"Well, we're okay," said Zane. "Jay's taking a nap, I'm keeping an eye on him, making sure he's okay."

"Okay," said Kai. "I'll let Sensei know."

He walked away. Zane got back into the bed, silently keeping an eye on Jay. Jay started whimpering; Zane hugged him, resting his forehead on Jay's to relax him. Eventually Zane was asleep too.

\--

"Excuse me, I thought you were keeping an eye on Jay."

Zane woke up to Cole's voice. He sat up and turned over to face him.

"Oh, um, I, uh —"

Zane continued to nervously stutter.

"Whatever, it's not on me if something happens to Jay," Cole said, walking away.

"Cole, let me explain —"

"Okay," said Cole, walking back to the room. "What's going on?"

"I think that seizure was caused by stress," Zane began. "He was whimpering, I think he was having a nightmare. So I tried hugging him to relax him and ended up falling asleep. I just didn't want him to get more stressed out than he already is. If stress is what caused that seizure, then I need to keep him relaxed."

"Okay, good enough for me," said Cole. As Cole walked away, Jay groaned. Zane looked at him, laying back down.

"Who was that?" muttered Jay, wrapping his arms around Zane.

"Cole," said Zane. "He was just making sure everything's okay. How are you feeling?"

"Better," answered Jay, burying his face in Zane's back.

"That's good," said Zane. He paused for a minute. "Hey, Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"If you start feeling light-headed again, focus on the now," said Zane. "If you focus on something besides being light-headed, it might help prevent another seizure."

"Okay," said Jay. "Maybe if I focus on regulating the electricity in my brain?"

"I didn't think of that," said Zane. "That's a great idea, Jay."

Zane turned to face Jay, looking into his eyes.

"I never noticed how pale of a blue your eyes are," said Jay. Zane giggled.

"They're like ice," Jay added, gazing intently into Zane's eyes. "Icy blue."

"I am the master of ice," said Zane. "Yours match your element, too. Electric blue. They're really pretty."

"Thanks," said Jay, turning a pale shade of pink. Zane pinned him down and kissed him.

"Zane! Jay?"

"Uh —" Zane quickly got off of Jay, getting off the bed. Kai poked his head in the room.

"H-Hey, Kai," said Jay, sitting up and swinging his legs over the edge of his bed. "What's up?"

"Just checking on y —"

"Cole just did," said Zane.

"Oh," said Kai. "Okay. How's Jay doing?"

"Good," said Zane. "I don't think he has a concussion and he seems a lot calmer than he was."

"Okay," said Kai. "Cole was also wondering if you two wanted to play a video game?"

Zane and Jay glanced at each other.

"Probably not the best idea since it's only been about three or four hours since Jay had that seizure," said Zane.

"Aw, but Zane —"

Zane smiled at Jay apologetically.

"Okay," said Kai. "I'll let Cole know."

"Thanks," said Zane, sitting down next to Jay. Kai left and Zane laid back, closing his eyes. He felt the weight on his chest increase. He opened his eyes. Jay was relaxing, his head on Zane's chest.

"Good to know I can calm you down," Zane said, chuckling. "Don't fall asleep."

"Why not?"

"Jay, you just woke up, maybe we should get up and do something."

"Like what?" Jay asked, sitting up. Zane sat up, letting his lips connect to Jay's. Jay pushed Zane down, pinning him to the bed.

"Ooh, spicy."

Jay looked up. Zane twisted his head. Cole and Kai were in the doorway. Jay was bright red.

"We —"

"Didn't think you were like that, Zane," said Cole.

"Obviously you were wrong," said Zane. "Just because I don't get your jokes —"

"No, you're just such a cinnamon roll," said Kai, leaning on the doorway. "You're so pure and innocent."

"Obviously not," said Zane. "If I was I wouldn't be in this position, would I?"

"You're getting so defensive," said Cole. "Calm down."

Jay glared at Kai and Cole, more red than before.

"Why are you here, anyway?"

Kai and Cole glanced at each other.

"We were just —" began Kai.

"— walking by," continued Cole. "You weren't exactly being quiet, not to mention, Jay, you can hear it when you're excited or happy."

"O-Oh, yeah? How?"

"Static electricity," said Kai. "When you're excited you can literally hear static electricity. You probably would've shocked Zane if we hadn't interrupted."

Zane and Jay looked at each other.

"Well," said Zane, pushing Jay off him, "you know now that we're more than friends."

"I wish we didn't, honestly," said Kai. Jay fell with a thud to the floor. Zane got on his hands and knees and looked over the edge of the bed.

"Oops," he said, chuckling with a shy smile. "Sorry."

"It's okay," said Jay, rubbing his head a little.

"Well, I guess we'll leave you two alone, then," said Cole.

"You don't _need_ to," said Jay. "I think we're done for the day. I'm doing okay, Zane calmed me down, and you both know we're both okay."

"Okay," said Zane, getting off the bed and grabbing Jay's hand to pull him off the floor. "Maybe we should train a little bit."

"Or video games?" said Jay, looking at Zane. Zane hesitated.

"I really don't want to make you upset, but you —"

"C'mon, Zane," said Cole. "It's been a few hours —"

"That doesn't mean anything," said Zane.

"Aw, but Zaaaannneee," groaned Jay, tugging on Zane's arm. "I thought we established that it was caused by stress."

Zane sighed.

"Fine."

\--

"C'mon, guys, let us cuddle," said Jay, climbing into Zane's bed.

"Jay —"

"Cole, leave it," said Kai. "We aren't Sensei Wu, and we aren't their parents."

"As long as they aren't being noisy —"

"Cole, no," said Jay. "I'm tired too, you know."

"Fine," said Cole. Jay closed his eyes only to open them again when he felt Zane poking his face.

"Zane, what are you doing?"

"Counting your freckles," said Zane. Jay sighed, closing his eyes again. After a few minutes he fell asleep.

\--

Jay was running through a snowy forest. He could feel cold wind blowing on his face. A figure was drawing some kind of weapon in the distance.

_What's going on?_

Looking closer he saw a bow; the weapon had been an arrow. The figure drew the arrow back.

_Are they going to kill me?_

Looking behind him he saw Zane sitting on the ground. The first part of his forearm and his hand were missing, showing wires and technology underneath. Jay quickly ran over to him.

_He's unconscious! I can't let that arrow hit him!_

"Zane! Zane, wake up!" Jay shook him, glancing between him and the figure in the distance. "Zane!"

The arrow flew through the air, hitting Zane in the chest.

"NO!" shouted Jay. He started sobbing.

"Jay!" Jay jolted awake. Kai, Cole, and Zane were staring at him.

"J-Jay, it was just a dream," said Cole. "Everything's okay."

Jay jumped on Zane, knocking him over.

"Jay, you're going to break one of my ribs," said Zane.

"You're — you're still here," said Jay.

"Of course I am," said Zane, looking at Jay with an eyebrow raised.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Sensei, Jay just had a nightmare, and an intense one it seems," said Zane. "Jay, you need to relax. It was just a dream."

"I don't want to lose you," whispered Jay, curling up next to Zane with his head on Zane's chest.

"You aren't going to lose me," said Zane quietly.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"'Kay, I'm going back to bed," said Kai. Cole nodded.

"Me too," he said, yawning.

"And we'll try to get some sleep, right, Jay?" said Zane, looking at Jay.

"Yeah," said Jay; he was relaxed now and half-asleep.

"Goodnight," said Wu, walking away.

"Goodnight," said Kai, Cole, Jay, and Zane simultaneously.

\--

When Zane woke up, Jay's torso and arms were slung across his chest. Zane sighed, putting an arm around Jay and smiling. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kai and Cole holding a bucket of water.

"Okay, no," said Zane.

"Aw, Zane, we just wanted to have some fun," said Kai.

"Too bad, Jay's asleep," Zane replied. Jay started groaning. Kai threw the water on Cole, laughing. Cole scowled.

"Ha! Got y —"

Cole started spinning, creating a tornado of dirt and rock and spraying water everywhere.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Zane. "Cole, you're getting water everywhere."

"What's going on?" Jay mumbled, burying his face in Zane's shirt.

"A prank gone wrong," said Kai, scowling and crossing his arms.

"Well, thank goodness it went wrong," said Jay, looking up at Kai. "I really don't want to be wet."

"Well, you already kind of are —" began Kai.

"But I'm not soaking wet," said Jay.

"We should probably get dressed and start training," said Zane. "It'll probably help Jay and Cole dry off."

"I'm not even that wet!" said Jay, sitting up and staring at Zane.

"You're still wet," said Zane, also sitting up.

"Either way, we'll probably get yelled at if we don't start training," said Kai.

"Yeah," said Cole. "Let's go."

\--

"Jay," said Zane as he threw a shuriken at a punching bag, "if you don't mind telling me, what was your nightmare?"

Jay seemed surprised for a minute; he lost focus and was hit with a second punching bag. He grunted, hitting the ground.

"It's not important," he mumbled, getting back to his feet.

"Of course it is," said Zane, looking at Jay. "Jay, you're vital to the team. Anything that's bothering you is important."

"It really isn't, Zane," said Jay, looking down at the ground.

"Don't pressure him, Zane," said Kai, putting a hand on Zane's shoulder. "It'll only make his stress worse."

"Yeah, you're right," said Zane. He glanced at Jay, full of worry. "I'm just concerned."

"I know you are," said Cole. "But if he wants to keep it to himself he can keep it to himself."

Jay seemed less enthusiastic about training than usual. Zane noticed he was getting hit more, but he didn't seem extremely stressed out, just depressed. Zane kept sneaking glances at him.

"I really don't think he's okay," he said to Kai. "That nightmare must've been really bad."

"Considering he was worried about losing you when he woke up last night, I'd assume it was about losing you," said Kai.

"I've never seen this happen after a nightmare about losing someone," said Cole, walking over to Kai and Zane. "I think he needs to talk to someone."

Jay walked over to the wall, leaning against it and holding his head.

"J-Jay, remember what we talked about," said Zane, running over to him. "Focus on regulating your brain electricity."

Jay started sobbing. Zane kneeled down next to him; Jay threw himself onto him.

"Zane, I-I don't want to lose you," he said between sobs.

"I told you you're not going to lose me," said Zane. "I promised."

Jay continued to cry into Zane's ninja uniform.

"I guess we'll take a break and leave you two some space," said Kai. Cole nodded and they went inside.

"Jay, you can tell me anything," said Zane, rubbing Jay's back a little.

"N-No, I c-can't," said Jay.

"If you can't tell me everything at least tell me about the nightmare," said Zane. "Please. I want to help you."

"I —" Jay paused. "Okay. I was walking through a forest. One that was snowy. Someone drew an arrow and was holding a bow, I didn't see a face. I thought they were aiming at me but I looked behind me and you were on the ground —"

Jay seemed to be thinking about what to say next.

"— and your hand and half your forearm were gone. You were unconscious, I tried to save you but I —"

"Jay, it's okay," said Zane. His eyes were watering. Jay was sobbing again. "You know I'm a better fighter than that. I'd never lose my arm and hand in a battle," Zane teased. Jay laughed a little.

"Y-Yeah," he said, hugging Zane a little tighter.

"No matter what happens, I'm always with you."

\--

"_You've been reprogrammed_," someone said. Zane didn't recognize the voice. "_You are no longer good. Your only loyalty is to me. The ninja are no longer your friends_."

_Re — Reprogrammed? But I'm not a robot! I'm not programmed to do anything! What's going on?_

Zane looked down at himself, examining his arms and legs. For some reason he felt heavier; he tapped his arms together. A metallic sound came from the impact. He continued to examine his arms and legs. They were black with red lines in random spots. So was his torso. He looked at his reflection in a window. His eyes were glowing red and his face was silver, as well as his hair. He felt something inside him telling him to accept this "reprogramming".

"Yes, master," Zane said. His voice came out with what seemed like a robotic filter over it.

"_Good_," the voice said. "_Now destroy the ninja_."

_What? I don't want to destroy Kai, Cole, and Jay! What am I doing?_

"Yes, master," Zane said again. He left the room; he was now out in a snowy forest. He could hear voices coming closer and hid behind a tree.

"I hope I see Zane again," said Jay; he sounded miserable.

"Don't worry, Jay, you will." Kai was trying to sound comforting but from his tone Zane could tell he was upset too. He sounded doubtful.

_I can't hurt them! They're my friends!_

"K-Kai, what if he's dead? That kidnapper didn't seem like he was nice," said Jay, his voice shaking.

"He's not dead," said Cole.

"You're right," said Zane, coming out of his hiding place behind the tree.

"What — What happened?" whispered Jay, visibly shaking.

"Kai, that's not our Zane," said Cole, glaring at Zane.

"Jay, focus on your brain's electrical signals," said Kai. "Stay calm."

"Don't act like that'll help him," said Zane.

"What did they do to you?" Kai shouted. Angry tears ran down his face.

"Just a little reprogramming, nothing too big," said Zane, smirking and leaning on a tree.

"K-Kai, what's he talking about?" asked Cole, standing defensively in front of a hyperventilating Jay.

"I don't know, just try to get Jay to calm down," Kai replied. "If Zane's dangerous the last thing we need is him having a seizure."

"Jay, listen to me," said Cole. "You need to take deep breaths. I understand you're anxious and panicking, but Zane's dangerous and we need you to stay with us, okay?"

"Why are you trying to help him? I'm the only one who can calm him down," said Zane, using his hand to freeze a tree branch.

_What? I could never do that before._

"That doesn't mean he can't try," said Kai. Zane looked above him. A flimsy branch was right above Kai. Zane quickly froze it and it fell, pinning Kai to the ground.

"Kai!" shouted Cole. He looked between Kai and Jay. Jay collapsed on the snow and started convulsing.

"Just you and me, Cole," said Zane.

"Cole, you have to fight him," said Kai. "I'll try to get to Jay and take care of him, you take care of Zane."

"O-Okay," said Cole nervously, grabbing his scythe.

"What are you going to do? Kill me?" said Zane, laughing. He froze a branch above Cole; Cole dodged it. He hit his scythe against the ground, causing a mild earthquake.

"Like that's going to stop me!" said Zane; he'd managed to hold his ground when Cole caused the earthquake. Zane froze Cole where he was and ran over to him. Cole was frozen up to the middle of his back; Zane grabbed him and —

"ZANE! WAKE UP!"

Zane gasped and sat up. He was in his bed next to Jay.

"It — It was just a dream," said Zane.

"Everything's okay," said Jay, hugging Zane tightly. "Whatever you were dreaming about isn't real."

"You — You're right," said Zane, hugging Jay. "Everything's okay."

"We won't make you go back to sleep," said Kai. "Obviously that was a pretty bad dream. We'll even stay up with you, it's almost daylight anyway."

"Thanks," said Zane. "How long was I dreaming for?"

"A while," said Jay. "Maybe half an hour. We've been trying to wake you up for ten or fifteen minutes."

"I'm okay now," said Zane.

\--

It had been a few months since Zane's nightmare. He, Jay, Kai, and Cole had been following a falcon; he was looking over blueprints he'd found in a workshop of some kind in a forest, similar to the one from his nightmare. He noticed a loose blueprint under the others. He grabbed it and looked at it. It looked like… him?

"No! It — can't be! No! NO!" Zane collapsed on the floor.

_I can't be a robot! I'll get reprogrammed! I'll get turned against Sensei and my friends against my will!_

"Zane?"

"Wow, would you look at this place? Zane, what's wrong?"

Zane heard three pairs of feet hit the floor. He saw Kai, Cole, and Jay's legs, but didn't look up.

"Are you hurt?"

"You okay?"

Zane sighed and looked at the table, where his blueprint was. He stood up and grabbed it, examining it for a second.

"Hey, what —" started Jay. Zane opened his chest; Kai, Cole, and Jay let out little yells of shock.

"You're — a robot?" exclaimed Kai.

"All this time, and I never knew," said Zane.

"Guess this explains why you're always acting so weird, right?" said Jay, laughing nervously; Kai and Cole stared at him.

"The reason I never had a sense of humor is because my funny switch wasn't on," explained Zane. He hit a switch on his control panel and shut the door to it. He started dancing.

"Hello, my baby, hello, my honey, hello, my ragtime gaaal," Zane sang; Kai, Cole and Jay stared at him. "Send me a kiss by wire!"

Jay started laughing. Kai and Cole stared at him.

Zane shut off his humor switch and groaned, kneeling on the floor.

"It just makes you more special!" said Cole. "You're still the same Zane, just more — uh — gears."

"No matter what you're made of, you're still our brother," said Kai, walking over to Zane.

"Really?"

"In fact, I bet it makes you an even better ninja," said Cole.

"Yeah! And how cool is it that I can honestly say my brother is a nindroid?" said Jay.

"A nindroid?"

"Now, come on," said Cole. "Pythor is still out there looking for the first fangblade, and we need you."

"You'll have to go on without me," said Zane. "I just… don't feel right."

Zane listened to Kai, Cole, and Jay leave. He heard Kai's voice.

"We just have to give him time, I don't know how I would feel if I was told I was a robot."

"You mean a nindroid," said Jay.

"Yeah, whatever."

Zane stopped listening. He examined his blueprint, looking at his control panel.

"A — A memory switch?"

Zane hit the switch and let his memory wash over him.

\--

"You've — You've known, haven't you, Jay?" Zane asked.

"Known — known what now?"

"That I'm a robot."

"You mean nindroid."

"Jay, seriously," said Zane. "Have you known?"

Jay sighed.

"I didn't want you to find out because I knew you'd freak out," said Jay. "I mean, you've thought you were human for how long?"

"A long time," Zane mumbled, looking at Jay. "I know, you wanted to protect me from pain."

Jay looked at him. Zane's eyes were watering. Jay ran over to him and kissed him. Zane slowly eased into it. He nipped at Jay's lower lip; Jay laughed a little and pulled away from him.

"You might be able to hold your breath for ten minutes or more, but I need to breathe," said Jay. He hugged Zane tightly. "I love you, Zane."

"I — I love you, too, Jay," said Zane, hugging Jay and resting his head on Jay's.

"You're my nindroid."


End file.
